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2017 Macbook Pro hardware issues? need AppleCare?

dmaxdmax

dmaxdmax

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 26, 2006
773
176
I haven't been following the forums but sometimes it's obvious that a particular model of computer is just begging for an extended warranty. Others end up being bulletproof though that's more likely with an mature design.

I have a 2.5 month old 2017 15" MBP. So far no problems but everything should work for 10 whole weeks! It replaced a 2012 model that had AppleCare which paid for itself several times over. Meanwhile my teen daughters have 2013 13" MBPs, neither of which has had a single issue.

Thoughts?
 
I would not buy nor recommend that anyone buy a 2016 or 2017 without Apple Care +.. An out of warranty KB replacement on these machines is $700+

Make sure you buy it within the 1st 60-days. Apple use to allow a year but recently changed it to 60-days from date of purchase.
 
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Website says that I have until 3/6
[doublepost=1518481400][/doublepost]Thanks - that was my inclination unless somebody talked me out of it. With the girls' computers we decided to live on the edge which paid off. They are the only computers where we have done that.

And DW thinks she had a problem with the "N" key but could have been sloppy typing. Not worth the risk.
 
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As much as it pains me to say this as a long-time MBP enthusiast, the current KB design is so prone to failures and replacements are so expensive that I can't possibly recommend to buy a 2016/17 model without some form of extended warranty.

Get AC. If your keys become defective in the future, you'll be thankful you did. If hopefully you're lucky and they don't, you'll enjoy peace of mind for 3 years.
 
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I don't know about you. I will buy one before my 1 year expired. o_O Screen Shot 2018-02-13 at 1.21.20 pm.png
 
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raqball said:
Make sure you buy it within the 1st 60-days. Apple use to allow a year but recently changed it to 60-days from date of purchase.
Click to expand...

Yeah which is dumb - I didn’t have the cash to but it then - but do now. Now I can’t buy. What’s the point? Hire more engineers and artists and less finance managers.
 
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smallcoffee said:
Yeah which is dumb - I didn’t have the cash to but it then - but do now. Now I can’t buy. What’s the point? Hire more engineers and artists and less finance managers.
Click to expand...

AFAIK, you can still buy regular AppleCare over the phone within the first year. This does not include accidental damage coverage as it's only the warranty extension.
 
dmaxdmax said:
Website says that I have until 3/6
[doublepost=1518481400][/doublepost]Thanks - that was my inclination unless somebody talked me out of it. With the girls' computers we decided to live on the edge which paid off. They are the only computers where we have done that.

And DW thinks she had a problem with the "N" key but could have been sloppy typing. Not worth the risk.
Click to expand...

Where on the site does it show that?
 
I'm the owner of a 2016 MBP and I actually think the keyboard is the least of the worries even if it's a common failure complaint. The repeating keys sometimes will fix themselves after a while. I've had the repeating key issue happen intermittently for a few keys, but then the problem would go away. This also sometimes happens with my mechanical keyboards. Something bugs out the switch and they repeat for a while and resolve on their own.

Anyway, I don't worry so much about the keyboard as much because in a worst case scenario, I can always use an external keyboard... which actually I do often anyway.
 
dmaxdmax said:
I haven't been following the forums but sometimes it's obvious that a particular model of computer is just begging for an extended warranty. Others end up being bulletproof though that's more likely with an mature design.

I have a 2.5-month-old 2017 15" MBP. So far no problems but everything should work for 10 whole weeks! It replaced a 2012 model that had AppleCare which paid for itself several times over. Meanwhile, my teen daughters have 2013 13" MBPs, neither of which has had a single issue.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I would recommend apple care +, the new macs are known to be trouble issues, especially after the one-year warranty ending. It's definitely worth it, if the keyboard has problems that are a $700 fix. I wouldn't recommend apple care for <2015 laptops as they have been less known to cause issues.
 
Companies price their extended warranties to make them money on average, so if you think about the probabilities, it's best to never buy an extended warranty and instead put that money into your emergency fund. That being said, I did get AppleCare on my 2016 MBP. There's nothing inexpensive to repair or replace on that thing and I thought the price was worth some peace of mind to me.
 
The probability that the keyboard will fail is far too high with the 2016/17 MBPro design.

IF it fails, it's a $700 repair. Even for only one or two keys.
Are you willing to "eat that" if it happens to you?

I've always "gone without" AppleCare on all my Macs, but for a 2017 MBPro, I think I'd have to buy it. (But I bought a 2015 design MBPro after the 2016's came out, specifically because I didn't feel right about the keyboard back then!)
 
Sterkenburg said:
As much as it pains me to say this as a long-time MBP enthusiast, the current KB design is so prone to failures and replacements are so expensive that I can't possibly recommend to buy a 2016/17 model without some form of extended warranty.

Get AC. If your keys become defective in the future, you'll be thankful you did. If hopefully you're lucky and they don't, you'll enjoy peace of mind for 3 years.
Click to expand...

This guy doesn't even own a 2016/2017 MacBook Pro So I would take what others say in this forum with a grain of salt.
 
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raqball said:
I would not buy nor recommend that anyone buy a 2016 or 2017 without Apple Care +.. An out of warranty KB replacement on these machines is $700+

Make sure you buy it within the 1st 60-days. Apple use to allow a year but recently changed it to 60-days from date of purchase.
Click to expand...

Based on our experience this is a very good recommendation.
 
Sterkenburg said:
If you were referring to my post, yes, I do have a 2016 machine and went through a top case replacement recently. Great computer overall, yet definitely not a bulletproof design.
Click to expand...

no computer has a bulletproof design. They are computers. A small percentage may have to use their warranty. But what is wrong with yours now?

Playfoot said:
Based on our experience this is a very good recommendation.
Click to expand...

This is anecdotal evidence. Your experience is not the same as everyone else. These MacBook pro's are literally the top selling laptop right now and millions have been sold, and less than 20 people are on these forums complaining about the keyboards. Do the math.
 
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kudos212 said:
no computer has a bulletproof design. They are computers. A small percentage may have to use their warranty. But what is wrong with yours now?
Click to expand...
Right now it's working fine and I hope it will continue to do so, then again it's been just 3 weeks or so since the repair, so ask me again in a few months.

There are no absolute guarantees on the reliability of a computer, obviously, with a percentage that will always exhibit problems, yet there are more reliable and less reliable designs. A recurring flaw that involves a basic piece of hardware and is very expensive to repair can be a relevant factor in the decision to buy an expensive machine, and personally I think it's in the best interest of a customer to be aware of it at the time of purchase. But that's just my opinion, to each his own.
 
greenmeanie said:
I have to laugh if Apple equipment is so great why does everyone need Apple Care lol.
Click to expand...

Because I have never owned any equipment that has been 100% flawless and accidents happen (that may have nothing to do with how good or bad the hardware itself is).

Go ahead and laugh, but it's come in handy MANY times for me, especially when it comes to accidents.
 
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greenmeanie said:
I have to laugh if Apple equipment is so great why does everyone need Apple Care lol.
Click to expand...

I'm not really known to be a defender of Apple or the MacBooks but the same can be said for any computer these days. I have a Surface Book and I purchased MS Complete for it.

Why get Apple Care or MS Complete or......? ---> Machines these days are pretty much disposable since everything is soldered onto the MB.. RAM go bad? The cost to fix it would almost the cost of a new machine. SSD go bad? Same.. KB fail? $700...

It's not just Apple Care. I'd recommend that anyone buying a computer where the components are all soldered onto the MB look into a warranty plan of some sort.
 
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